the ELEMENTAL

Hamish Wilson - the wonderful man who gave Robert his first break in broadcasting. Acted as a wee boy in the original series of Para Handy with Duncan Macrae. Hamish agreed to let Sarah cut his beard off as if it had been done by a blind woman with an obsession. (Which may be the way she normally does beards - we didn't ask.)

Producer Katie Crook, with typical miserable expression. Come on Katie - it'll all be fine in the end. Katie's own company is Blue Iris Films: www.blueirisfilms.co.uk

Sound Recordist, Merlin Bonning. Magic name, magic bloke. Is that a wand he's holding?

Guido Schneider, Online Editor and Colourist at M8Media in Glasgow. The film made his hair stand on end.

And Dougie McEwan, who lent us the flat and basically lost his home for a week. What ca
n we say? This is him during the shoot trying to pretend it's OK really and we're honestly not in the way.

Aaron Young and Tamsin Ranger of the UK Film Council, flanked by Katie and Robert (who both look a little flushed, don't you think?) Thanks to the experts for guiding us through the process of seeing the film on to a giant honest-to-goodness 35mm film print. And for shepherding it to The Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Louise Ludgate (Karen) and Hamish Wilson (Charlie). Big round of applause!!! Louise didn't eat Robert for breakfast, although she probably could have done.

Tony Donaldson, scary Evangelist. "Neglect and guilt!" Frightened us, big time.

Aurora Palko, glowing. "Mum... If I think I see one, why do I have to look away?" "Cos if you look right at it you'll grow up like that Louise Ludgate, that's why!"

Amylia Harris, Ist AD. Controlled us with a rod of velvet clad iron. Look at her smiling in a cunning ruse to get us to do her bidding.

Steve Arthur, Gaffer, from Lighttrack. We've never seen a gaffer RUN before during a shoot. Either he really really enjoys it, or he has a bladder problem. Whatever - thanks Steve!

Donald MacSween, from the Red army factions.

Robert Etherson, Grips. Man of muscle. Man of steel. Man of flat thumb. Hope it's feeling better, Robert. More effort above and beyond the call of duty. We'd like the lens about here, says Jan, putting his hand out into space above a sixty foot drop. And Robert somehow manages to achieve it.

Rob Sproul-Cran, musician extraordinaire. Eldest son of bigger Rob. His song "Japan" is the closing music on The Elemental. Check out his original sounds at: www.robsproulcran.com

Hope Ross, heroine. Seriously! Not only did she agree to get made up to look well short of her red carpet best (i.e. on death's door) but the fact that she made the shoot at all deserves a medal. Hope slipped on ice and broke her arm two days before the shoot. We couldn't believe she was still up for it - but she decided to soldier on. A stookie would have required a bit of major rescripting. "I know I've been trapped in the flat for weeks, starving to death, but I found some plaster of paris in a cupboard..." As it was, Sarah cut her cardy to go over the real sling, then put a fake one over the top. The new lines now read: Karen - "What've you done to your arm?" Mother - "I fell. It's nothing." How did we have the nerve to get her to say that? She was in agony. And of course, with the white contact lenses, she couldn't see either.

Sarah Cairncross, Make-up and Wardrobe. If she can make a corpse look good, then she might even be able to do something for Robert.

Mr Focus - Mits M'Itwamwari, in a typical blur of activity, hoisting the camera as if it were a bag of feathers.

Rocca Gutteridge, Art Department Assistant. Props and Monsters. Shadows'r'us. Made the monster come alive. Er, thanks...

Script Supervisor Ollie Sproul-Cran studies the storyboards and script. He finds them a real laugh.

Neil Cammock, Stills. Big thanks for the shots which have ended up on this website.

Louise Ludgate being shy and retiring.

Julie looking very convincing as an Alzheimers Scotland collector. Certainly fooled a few passing randoms who popped in some cash on the way by. And of course the money did go to the charity, so we now have a warm glow.

Writer and Director Robert Sproul-Cran, whose hand had a Hitchcock moment emerging from a rib cage full of liver. Never let it be said that he wasn't prepared to get his hands dirty. OK, we've got the shot. Just go and have a bath now, will you?

Andy Maas, 3rd AD. Crowd control. He waved, we walked. Herded unsuspecting members of the public out of shot. What are you doing in a shopping centre at this time on a Sunday morning anyway?

Katherine Kennedy, runner on The Elemental, but Big Star and doyenne of the Half Cut Scottish Students Film Festival at St Andrews. Check it out at http://www.ontherocksfestival.com/half-cut.html

Dave Thom, Assistant Gaffer. Who didn't want his photy took too much. But we got him.

The stars, in a rare moment of relaxation between takes.

Al George, Monster of Surround. Canongate Studios maestro. Took something which sounded horrible and made it sound horrible all around you.